


My Dad has a Crush on You

by Surrealx3



Series: A ThunderHulk Collection [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable Tony Stark, Alternate Universe - High School, Bruce Is a Good Bro, But also a mega-nerd, Everyone wants to cuddle Tony, Getting to Know Each Other, He's actually pretty damn smart, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Steve being all papa like, Thor Is Not Stupid, Tony Stark is 14, WinterShield feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-17 12:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5869075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Surrealx3/pseuds/Surrealx3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I noticed that Avenger high school AUs usually ignored Tony's whole 'I'm a genius so I skip grades' thing so I decided I had to do it. </p><p> <br/>Tony and the gang enjoys school life while not thinking about the upcoming graduation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tony sighed gratefully as the teacher dismissed him. Trying to stay awake in his Chemistry class was torture since his teacher were millenniums behind him in the subject. Seriously, a fourteen year old knew more about molecular structures than the dinosaur, Mr. Bradsworth. Granted, he could get his Ph. D if he wanted but still, not cool. He got up and stretched, feeling the pop of his spine.

A squeal escaped him as fingers tickled his sides. He turned to glare at his friend, “Dammit, Thor, I told you to stop doing that.”

“Oh, have you?” his large blond friend smiled innocently, “I must have forgotten.”

“Careful about that forgetting, Thor,” Natasha breezed pass them, “Touching a minor has some deadly repercussions.”

Tony stuck his tongue out at her back. Yes, he was somehow the only minor among his group of friends.

“Come along, young Tony,” Thor teased, “Steve will scold me if you’re late to your next class.”

Tony huffs and grumbles but follows after, telling himself that Steve wasn’t the boss of him. But they all knew Steve was basically Tony’s second father since seeing a twelve year old among their freshmen class. At the time, Tony had a hard time avoiding the bombardment of fatherly guidance and care so three years later, Tony was still ‘Steve’s little boy.’ His teachers knew exactly who to go to if he failed to turn in an assignment.

“Quickly, young friend,” suddenly he was being picked and put over Thor’s shoulder, because of course Thor transfers in at the beginning of the year and assign himself as Tony’s foster dad number two, and carries Tony out the door.

Already used to this, hardly anyone even stares beyond the fangirls. Tony can’t even find the strength to struggle. He stays limp on Thor’s shoulder until he dropped in front of his next class, AP World History. Tony tossed a quick glare at Thor while trying to smooth out his ruffled clothes.

“Oh look, the prince is here,” the snide voice came from the most elegant creature Tony had ever seen. The elegant creature that seemed to hate him. He didn’t even know why either, which was the most frustrating part.

“Lokes, hey,” yeah Tony, try to look cool after his brother literally carried you into the room, that’ll go well. “Is it just me or do you look extra dashing today?”

“It’s just you,” Loki retorted, turning to follow Natasha to their seats. The one year younger brother of Thor seemed determined to hate him since they transferred to the school. Part of him blames Thor for liking him.

Tony sighed, “Why does he hate me?”

Thor shrugged, “I have no idea. I need to get to my class. I’ll see you later, my young friend.”

“See you,” Tony waved briefly before going to his assigned seat. In the back. Right in front of the beautiful guy that hated him for absolutely no reason.

“It must be so nice to be a little prince,” Loki said to Natasha but the words pointed, “Everyone falling over themselves to please them. And I thought Thor was spoiled.”

Tony rolled his eyes but didn’t retort.

“If anyone else had made a scene like that, they would have gotten detention,” Loki continued, “But not the little prince. Everyone loves him.”

“Obviously not,” Tony couldn’t help replying, “Or you wouldn’t be talking shit about me.”

“So sorry, your majesty,” Loki’s smile was like a poisoned cupcake, “Why don’t I roll over for you too and indulge your superiority complex?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “I’m a fourteen years old surrounded by people who could snap me like a twig on a regular basis. You obviously know nothing about me if you think that gives me a superiority complex. In fact,” he turned in his seat with a wide grin, “I dare you to get to know me.”

A single elegant eyebrow went up as Loki drawled, “Get to know you? Why would I need to do that?”

“Because you’re acting like a bully,” Tony pointed out, “So you’re either just a bad guy or you understand me about as much as I understand you. I’m willing to go with the latter. So get to know me, perhaps even let me get to know you, and we’ll solve this whole ‘Loki’s being an asshole to me’ thing.”

“Or maybe I’m just an asshole,” Loki offered with a deliberately fake smile.

“Are you?”

“Perhaps.”

They became locked into a staring contest to see who would break first. And the loser turned out to be Loki when Natasha huffed, “Just do it, Loki. Steve wouldn’t hang out with him if he was as much of an asshole as he seems to be.”

Loki’s eyebrows touched his hairline, “You actually like the captain?”

Natasha huffed, “I just realized that the golden boy thing isn’t just an act.”

Tony snorted, “Yeah, definitely not an act. I can’t even curse around him. Hell, he tells people not to curse around me. Between him and my dad, I’ll be made a saint yet.”

Loki snorted, “No worries about that.”

Tony winked at him and turned around in his seat. Finally, he was making some leeway. The pining was starting to get pathetic.

When lunch came around, Tony met his usual group at their lunch table. Steve was talking to Sam, probably about strategies for their basketball team. Thor and Clint, on other, less savory, part of the spectrum were looking over at the cheerleader table and arguing about something that would Steve wouldn’t allow if he heard them. He chose them.

“What are we talking about?” He sat next to Thor and grinned at the intense concentration on Clint’s face.

Clint answered distractedly, “We heard a rumor that Haley Neuman got implants. I can’t see any difference but Thor’s saying something happened there.”

“What are you talking about?” They all jumped at Steve’s voice while Sam smothered a laugh.

“Just about how respectable the young women of the cheerleading team look,” Thor lied flawlessly though his lecherous grin was a dead giveaway.

Steve’s eyes narrowed, “Maybe you should pay more attention to your food than those young women.”

“Right,” Thor picked up his burger and smiled, “It does look just as appetizing.”

A beat of silence. Then Clint and Tony were rolling with laughter. Sam bit his knuckle to after his own chortle, avoiding the Captain’s disappointed gaze. Thor causally bit into his burger as if he hadn’t made one of the best innuendos Tony had ever heard.

When he caught Loki and Natasha approaching from the corner of his eye, he bit his lip, trying to force down the rest of his laughter. That barely helped, seeing how he was already red in the face. “Loki, Natasha, hey.” Yeah, he’d play it cool even if he had a battery plugged up to his chest. It was his go-to reaction.

Loki gave him a look mixed with confusion and amusement, “What’s going on over here?”

“Oh, Loki, wait until you hear what your brother said,” Clint started.

Thor cut him off with a desperate, “I said nothing, Clint. Nothing at all.”

Steve gave him a disapproving frown, “If you wouldn’t say it in front of your mother than you shouldn’t say it at all, Thor.”

Tony giggled, then slapped a hand over his mouth because _he did not giggle. What the hell. He just giggled in front of Loki. Great job, Tony, you’ve ruined everything._ When he glanced over, Loki wasn’t even looking. He breathed out a sigh of relief. “So are you two joining us or what? Have a seat. There’s plenty of room.”

“Yes, come sit, brother,” Thor encouraged him, “It is rare for me to see you at lunch.”

“Well someone,” a pointed look at Tony, “Thought it would be cute to dare me to get to know them. So that’s what I came here to do.”

“Aw, that is cute,” Clint cooed mockingly, “Tony wants you to see the ‘real him.’”

Tony threw his orange at him, “Shut up, birdbrain.”

Clint caught it easily, “I’m just teasing. Welcome to our table, Loki and Natasha. I’m Clint, the host. The one who generally disapproves of everything is Tony’s dad, Steve. The guy next to him is Sam, only sane one here. You know our sugar plum, cuppycake, pummi-umpty-umkin Tony and of course you know Thor.”

“I get no title?” Thor asked jokingly.

“You can be the uncle that touches Tony,” Natasha inputted helpfully.

The suggestion made Clint howl with laughter while the rest of the group looked horrified.

“Nat,” Loki grimaced, “Why?”

“Well he was touching Tony,” Natasha shrugged as if the statement didn’t sound awfully scandalous just floating there.

“It was just tickling,” Tony hurried to assure the rising, furious Captain, “He tickled me while I was stretching. Dammit, Natasha, couldn’t you have added in that little detail?”

She smirked, “I could have.”

Thor cleared his throat in the silence that followed, “Well, brother, it was nice of you and Natasha to stop by. I look forward to seeing you again at home.”

“Oh I don’t plan to leave,” Loki grinned wickedly, “This is far more fun than I imagined.”

“But seriously, Tony,” Steve butted in, “Thor hasn’t…” he trailed off meaningfully.

“He’s right there,” Tony shouted. Steve looked like he didn’t care in the least, giving him ‘the look.’ He groaned, “No, he hasn’t done anything. Dammit, Steve, this is so fucking” Steve snapped, ‘language,’ “embarrassing. Why are you doing this to me?”

Despite the accusations being thrown around, Thor rubbed his arm comfortingly. “Worry not, young friend. Steve is simply trying to protect you. I take no offense.”

Loki commented casually, “I don’t know, Thor. The Captain’s suspicions say an awful lot about your character.”

“Steve is paranoid,” Tony waved him off. “Thor is just a bit too touchy feely for his delicate sensibilities.”

Loki muttered beneath his breath, “Trust me, I know,” while Steve scoffed loudly.

“Anyway,” Tony continued, pretending he hadn’t heard that, “Do you guys want to hang out over my house today?”

The words were barely out his mouth before Steve intoned, “Of course.”

Clint shrugged, “Yeah, I got nothing better to do.”

Sam sighed, “Sorry, man, I’ve been letting my homework pile up.”

Thor grinned and ruffled his hair, “I would love to. It will my first time seeing your home.”

“Right, geez, you carry me to class but you haven’t even been to my house,” Tony looked over at Loki and Natasha, “What about you two?”

Loki looked tempted to turn him down but when Natasha elbowed him, he gave in with a nod.

Tony lit up, “Awesome, give me your number and I’ll send you the address.”


	2. Chapter 2

 At the end of the day, Loki was a step behind Natasha as they headed out the door. Which was an obvious method to slow them down since he was usually the first out the door.

“Loki, honestly, is the idea of getting to know him that bad?” Natasha glowered at him, “You already agreed, you may as well give it a shot.”

“He’s fourteen years old, will graduate before I do and is beloved by the entire school,” Loki retorted, “I think I know enough.”

“I heard from Clint that Steve is protective of him because people used to bully him for being a genius,” Natasha revealed expressionlessly. “And according to him, you aren’t nearly as bad as they were.”

Loki turned away stubbornly, “So you want me to pity him?”

“No, it just disgust me that you and people like that are put in the same category,” she corrected him. “Besides, Tony is harmless. I think he may even have a little crush on you.”

Loki grimaced, “Why would you think that?”

“Just a hunch,” she smirked, “I’m pretty sure you think he’s cute.”

“And what makes you think that?” Loki asked, shock written across his face.

“Just a hunch,” she chuckled, “Plus I saw you when he giggled.”

“He giggled,” Loki argued, “Sounds like that does things to your instincts. That’s probably why you’re so eager to ‘get to know him’ now.”

“Of course,” she said without giving him the slightest impression that he was right.

Twenty minutes later, they were standing outside a smallish, one story house.

Natasha commented, “I honestly expected more. You know, something more like your and Thor’s house.”

Loki just nodded in agreement. “He may come from a surprisingly modest household.”

“He’s already defying your expectations?” she teased before getting out the car. Loki hastened to follow her up to the door. They barely had to wait after she rang the doorbell, Steve was there to open it almost immediately.

“Natasha,” he greeted her, then with an attitude a degree cooler, “Loki. Come on in. I’m making snacks.” He left the door open and returned to the kitchen. Inside the house was as understated as the outside. Relatively recent pictures of Tony with a young man about ten years older hung on the wall. Curious as he was, he figured he’d put off asking until he’s had an actual conversation with Tony.

They walked down the hallway to the living room, where the rest of the group were relaxing. Thor was sprawled out on the couch while Clint hogged the loveseat, Steve’s book bag marked the only chair as his and Tony sat on Thor’s legs with his legs pretzel crossed.

“Nat,” Clint motioned towards his out-stretched legs, “Take a seat.”

Natasha glanced at Loki with an amused smile and went over to sit on top of Clint’s legs, adjusting to get comfortable. When Loki turned back, Tony and Thor were wearing matching grins.

Tony patted Thor’s legs invitingly while Thor said, “Come, brother, there’s room for you as well.”

Loki gave them an unimpressed look, “I’d rather sit on the floor.”

Thor and Tony sighed loudly before adjusting so they all could sit on the couch. Thor pouted with his legs on the floor, refusing to even look at Loki anymore. Loki rolled his eyes and sat down beside Tony.

He asked dryly, “So what exactly do you do at these gatherings?”

Tony shrugged, “Talk, play video games, watch a movie, whatever. We have Netflix too, in case that’s your thing.”

“Hell, sometimes Steve comes and just does homework,” Clint added.

Loki hummed thoughtfully, “In that case, how about a game?”

Clint and Thor perked up. Clint asked, “What type of game?”

“Never Have I Ever,” Loki suggested with mischievous grin.

“I’m in,” Natasha grinned.

“Me too,” Clint said, “Tony, is there any alcohol here?”

Tony snorted, “Even if there was, no way would Steve let us drink it.”

Clint moaned, “True. Okay, we’ll just play with candy. Tony, go get candy.”

Tony squawked, “Why me?”

“Because it’s your house,” Clint retorted.

Grumbling, Tony conceded and went into the kitchen to grab the bags of snickers. While in there, he got wrangled by Steve into helping carry the third bowl of nachos into the living room and sitting on the table. 

While stuffing his face with nachos, Clint told Steve, “We’re playing Never Have I Ever. You in?”

There was a sign and an eye roll but he nodded. “You’re using the candy, right?”

Tony nodded, already distributing ten pieces of candy to everyone in bowls. “First to eat all their candy loses.” Tony sat back down next to Loki.

“I’ll go first,” Loki offered, although he left no room for argument. “Never have I ever drank whiskey.”

Everyone watched in shock as Tony unwrapped a piece of chocolate. He shrugged awkward, “Curiosity.” Thor and Clint unwrapped pieces of chocolate as well but that came as no shock to anyone. Tony went next, “Never have I ever made out with a guy.”

Both Thor and Loki went for a piece of candy, blinking at the abject shock of everyone else in the room.

“I’m gay,” Loki offered voluntarily, “And Thor accepts anyone that throws themselves at him.”

“Ah,” Natasha went for a candy of her own while muttering, “I really should have known that.”

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Tony caught Steve picking up a piece too.

“Steve,” Tony said slowly, “Steve, are you serious? You’re not just playing with me, are you? Please don’t let this be a joke.”

“It was one time,” Steve snapped, a flush rising to his cheeks.

“One time with who?” Loki asked.

“Just a childhood friend of mine,” Steve muttered awkwardly, “It was just a one-time thing.”

“Wait, you mean Bucky?” Tony would laugh if he wasn’t so shocked, “You made out with an emo stoner?” Clint was chanting ‘ohmygod’ like the world was ending.

Steve groaned, “Who’s next? Thor, you’re next, right? Please go.”

Thor, probably because of the little molestation accusation from earlier, said, “I don’t believe I know this ‘emo stoner’ you speak of.”

“So Steve’s childhood friend disappeared a few years back,” Tony recounted, “Then suddenly, sophomore year, he reappears, emo as fuck,” “Language!” “and constantly high. Steve tried to talk to him but he barely even recognized him and wasn’t all that interested in being friends. Steve, buddy, why didn’t you tell me?”

“There was nothing to tell,” Steve snapped, “I caught him while he was sober, tried to talk to him and things got a bit out of hand.”

“Oh, Stevey,” Tony inched off the couch, sympathetic in the face of Steve’s ‘kicked puppy’ expression, “Need a hug?”

Steve didn’t hesitate to nod.

“Aw, come on,” Tony stood, followed by Clint, and bundled Steve in a group hug that was existential for their friendship. It wouldn’t have survived so long without the occasional hug. “It’s okay, buddy, he’ll come through someday. He just needs time.”

“Exactly,” Clint said with the surprising sensitivity that he showed during these hugs, “No way would he have kissed you if he didn’t want anything to do with you.”

“Right,” Steve sighed gratefully, “You’re right. I just have to be more persistent.”

Tony and Clint returned to their seats while Loki blinked, wondering what on earth just happened. Thor, on the other hand, smiled and continued with the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always welcomed. So is happiness and visiting my tumblr page [here](http://bookish-air.tumblr.com/) is agreeable as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's dad.

It was about ten when Tony’s dad finally made it home. The group had settled on watching The Conjuring after an entire hour of arguing, voting and generally being stubborn. Beyond the shrieks of the television, the house was silent. All lights were off to increase to the spookiness.

Tony perked up when he heard the jingle of keys. When his dad finally appeared at the door way, he jumped to his feet. “Dad, finally. It’s almost past your curfew.”

Bruce Banner chuckled, “Didn’t know I had one.” He turned on the lights as Steve paused the movie. He took a look at the extra people and said jokingly, “Oh no, you multiplied.”

Tony grinned, “I made some new friends. Guys, this is my dad, Dr. Bruce Banner.”

Thor stood and held a hand out, easily a few inches over Bruce, “You’re Tony’s father? You seem a bit,” an appraising once over, “Young.”

“Oh, yeah,” Bruce blushed, shaking his hand with weak grip, “Just twenty-nine. I'm his guardian, he just calls me ‘dad’ to tease me. People never look at me the same again whenever I'm out with Tony. And you are?”

“Thor Odinson,” Thor introduced himself with a charming smile, “And I don’t think our young friend would call you father if you weren’t more than worthy of the title.”

Bruce’s blush spread to the tip of his ears, “Oh, well, um, thank you. Thor. I appreciate that.” He stared at Thor, as if wondering if the man in front of him even existed.

“Don’t let his innocent smile fool you,” Clint shouted out of nowhere, “He’s an evil bastard.”

Bruce seemed to snap out of whatever trance Thor had him in and laughed uneasily, “If you say so.”

“Yes, don’t believe a second of the goldilocks attitude,” Clint said vehemently, the only sign that he was joking was a twitch of the lips, “You’re a good man, Banner. You don’t need men like him to drag you down.”

Thor looked at him, offended, “Why is my honor being questioned so often today? I simply wish to leave a good impression on Tony’s beloved father.”

Tony eyed Bruce, his suspicion growing from the second Bruce let his Zen-like composure break. “You left an impression alright.”

Bruce seemed to grow even more flustered at Tony’s knowing expression. “Okay, it’s nice to meet you all. I’m going to bed. Night.” He hastened down the hallway to his room. Yeah, he could run but he couldn’t hide. Tony wasn’t going to let this go.

“Look at the time,” Steve commented, looking at his phone, “It’s already past ten.”

“Uh oh, it’s little Tony’s bed time,” Clint teased, jumping to his feet. “Guess we should go.”

Loki nodded in agreement though his thoughts revolved around Bruce and Tony’s relationship. Tony was adopted? What happened to his parents? What happened to the perfect life Loki once imagined he had? This discovery disproved everything he once believed about the young genius.

“Loki,” Tony interrupted his thoughts, his smile uncharacteristically timid, “So how’d you like hanging out with us?”

“It was,” enlightening, strange, the most fun he’s had in a while, “enjoyable.”

Tony grinned, “Awesome. Maybe we can hang out more often then. But, you know, just you and me. No one around to question Thor’s honor.”

Loki let himself smile at Tony’s eagerness. “Sure.”

“Awesome, cool, can’t wait,” Tony nodded, trying to curve his enthusiasm.

“Neither can I,” Loki ruffled Tony’s hair, laughing at the irritated huff he got in return, and followed Thor out the door.

As soon as the last person (Steve, of course) was out the door, Tony sprinted to Bruce’s room and barged right in. Bruce was already in bed wearing his plaid pajamas. A book was in his hands, new judging by the way he was stretching the spine.

“No,” Bruce said the moment he stepped into the room.

“I haven’t even asked anything yet,” Tony complained.

“I don’t care, the answer is no.”

“So you don’t have a crush on Thor?”

Giving up the guise of reading, Bruce just threw his book at him. “No, I don’t.”

Tony giggled as he dodged the book, “So Thor totally isn’t the type that you would crush on from afar in hopes of him one day noticing the adorable little geek next door.”

A pen was thrown at him. “No, so go away.”

“Okay, fine,” Tony backed slowly out the door, “Just saying, he’s an equal opportunity type of guy,” then he was out the door before a pillow could hit him.

Bruce could hear Tony’s laughter even after he closed his own door. He took off his glasses and massaged the bridged of his nose out of pure habit. It was his way of showing that he was stressed. Or embarrassed.

 

Meanwhile, Loki enjoyed a car ride in pure silence with a squirming Thor. After shutting down the blonde’s every attempt to make conversation, Thor tried to preoccupy himself with the radio; which Loki promptly shut off. Now he reclined lazily, waiting for Thor to reach his boiling point.

“Norns, brother,” Thor exploded, “This silence is driving me insane.”

“I don’t see how that’d make the rest of us any worse off,” Loki commented snidely.

Thor sighed, then perked up with an ominous expression that spoke of an idea. “My young friend seems to like you quite a bit, brother.”

“Yes,” Loki drawled, eyes narrowing, “It does seem so.”

“Unfortunately, he is so young, it is hard to not worry for him.”

Loki sat up, “What are you trying to say, brother?”

“Nothing at all,” Thor said innocently, “I just hope you keep in mind that my young friend has many guardians, including myself, so you should tread carefully.”

Loki sat ramrod straight now, “Are you threatening me?”

Thor laughed, “No, of course not. I just hope you won’t do anything foolish with Tony’s young heart.”

“I won’t do anything unsavory to your precious Tony,” Loki sulked. He paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Did you know Tony was adopted?”

Thor shook his head, his head tilted thoughtfully. “It was obvious that he didn’t have a mother since he spoke only of his father but I had no idea it wasn’t even his birth father. Though it doesn’t matter much, considering how much they love each other. Don’t you agree?”

Loki nodded absently. “Speaking of Bruce,” Thor inclined his head, a silent sign to continue, “He couldn’t tear his eyes off you.”

“No,” Thor waved him off with a small smirk, “He was just tired.”

“Tired, Thor?” Loki chuckled, “I supposed you would know. You’re seen quite a bit of ‘tired’ people, haven’t you?”

Thor shrugged, a small smile playing around his mouth. But then it dropped, “No, Loki, Tony cares for his father immensely. I wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt him.”

“Him being Tony or Bruce?”

“Either,” Thor replied solemnly. “I have learned much about friendship since meeting Steve, Tony and Clint. Sif, the Three and I had a friendship made up of besting each other. This friendship is made up of caring for one another. If pursuing Bruce makes Tony unhappy then I won’t do it.”

“What if Tony doesn’t mind?” Loki asked.

Thor shrugged, a small smile emerging shyly, “He was rather cute.”


	4. Chapter 4

 

At school the next day, the first thing Tony said when he sat down next to Thor was, “Dude, my dad has a crush on you.”

“That’s,” Thor hesitated, “Interesting.”

“Yeah, it’s so cute,” Tony chuckled, “It’s totally the nerd/jock trope except you’re technically not a jock and he’s like the highest level of nerd possible. It’s pretty much his occupation.”

Thor listened to Tony talk on about his dad’s crush and wondered what Tony wanted him to say. Part of him believed that this was Tony’s unsubtle way of telling him he approved. But the other part of him knew Tony lacked a filter and really would talk about this whether he approved of the crush or not. So he held his tongue and waited for some sort of sign on what to do.

At one point during his rambling, Tony glanced over at Thor and stopped mid-word. His eyes narrowed, “What’s that expression?”

Thor made his face purposely blank, “What expression?”

“You had this look on your face,” Tony accused him, “It’s the same look you had when you saw Jane.”

Thor waved him off, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Tony flailed, “I swear, Thor, if you make a move on Bruce, you’ll regret it.”

And there was the verdict.

“Of course. I wouldn’t do anything that would make you unhappy,” Thor said mildly.

Tony seemed skeptical, “You really won’t do anything? ‘Cause you’re great, really, but you aren’t exactly the romantic type. Brucey-bear is a gentle flower. He needs a great deal of love and care.”

“Of course,” Thor agreed, wisely not adding that he can do that. He could be the romantic type if he put his mind to it. He just tended to go with his more carnal instincts.

“So we’re cool, right?” Tony looked a bit anxious, “You know I have nothing against you? I’m just extremely concerned about Bruce.”

“Yes, of course,” Thor patted Tony’s shoulder, “I completely understand. Family is family. They always come first.”

“Thanks, big guy,” the stiffness left Tony’s shoulder, “I’m glad you’re not taking it personally.”

Even Thor didn’t realize that he totally was.

 

When lunch came around, Loki sat with their group again, his attitude warmed considerably compared to the ‘ice queen’ vibe he used to throw around. Tony was thrilled to see that the attitude change was most drastic towards him. He was starting to seem more amused by Tony’s jokes and sarcasm than annoyed.

“But Mr. Breadsworth is the worst,” Tony complained to Loki, “Like, okay, it’s bad enough that he never teaches anything I don’t know but he won’t even let me sleep or work on something else. And he never believes me when I say I know everything. He just assumes I’m showing off or something.”

“Isn’t it Bradsworth?” Loki asked with an amused smile.

Tony waved dismissively, “Bread, Brad, close enough. The point is, he’s an awful teacher. Teachers are supposed to challenge you. I don’t feel very challenged. More like inconvenienced.”

“Yes, how dare anyone inconvenience Tony Banner,” Loki drawled sarcastically though it lacked his usual sharp edge.

“Exactly,” Tony grinned, “It’s a travesty. This much intellect can’t be stalled. That’s just an accident waiting to happen.”

“Oh, Anthony,” Loki sighed dramatically, “You’re an accident that has happened.”

Tony grimaced, “Ew, don’t call me Anthony.”

“Why not?” Loki smiled sweetly, “It’s an intelligent name for an intelligent boy.”

Tony flushed pink, suddenly averting his eyes shyly. He shrugged but his pleased smile was all too apparent, “Fine, I’ll let you call me Anthony but only because flattery gets you everywhere. Remember that.”

Loki couldn’t help smiling at his response, even while he wondered just how often Tony’s arrogance was pretense to hide something. He could definitely see it becoming a defense mechanism to deal with problematic areas of his life. To fend off those who want to hurt him and make him doubt himself. Like Sif and the Three.

His eyes widened at his own thoughts. Loki had to deal with Sif and the Three, not Tony. Why would he even think of them? Unless…they’re more similar than he cared to admit.

Loki chuckled when he saw that Tony was off again, talking about teachers he’s liked and hated over the years. The way Tony was so verbose was starting to seem more endearing than annoying. His constant flow of words had the same soothing quality of silence.

“Lokes, are you even listening?”

Loki blinked, “I’m sorry, I was lost in my thoughts.”

Tony pouted (an endearing look on him, especially since he was so young), “I was asking you about your teachers.”

“Oh, well,” Loki hesitated, “I do quite like my English and Literature teacher. Mrs. Hopkins explains literature beautifully and she’s always open to the opinion of others. I used to go to spend lunch with her just to talk about literature. That is, until Natasha forced me to sit with her.”

“So you like literature, like Shakespeare and stuff?” Tony questioned, “Do you want to go see the new Hamlet that came out? Together? I mean, if you want to go alone than that’s cool too, I just thought it’d be cool to go, with me. If you want.” Tony closed his mouth, his blush growing.

Actually, Loki hadn’t been planning to see it at all. He didn’t want to witness Hollywood movie stars drag Shakespeare’s name through the mud. “Sure, we can go together,” but he’ll make an allowance this once.

“Awesome, cool,” Tony lit up, “Maybe this weekend?”

“How about Saturday?”

“Evening show?”

“Let’s shoot for afternoon,” Loki continued teasingly, “I don’t want to get in the way of your bedtime.”

“No, I,” Tony groaned, “Okay, yeah, my dad gave me a bedtime but I don’t see why. I’m a senior in high school. I don’t need a bedtime. If I ask, I think I can get him to bend it a bit.”

The lunch bell rang, startling them both.

“Afternoon, Anthony,” he patted Tony’s back and gather his bag before walking out the door. In the hallway, Thor fell into step beside him.

“So, brother,” Thor smiled, “You have a movie date for this weekend.”

Loki groaned, “Please tell me you were the only one listening.”

“Of course, just me and Clint,” Thor assured him with a smirk, he continued in the same breath, “Oh, and Steve and Sam and Natasha but that’s all.”

Loki’s glare was murderous, “If I said I despise you, it wouldn’t be enough to express the sentiment.”

“Sentiment, brother? Our young friend is having a positive effect on you already.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay, meat! (When you're so used to obscene jokes that meat is dangerous.)

 

Thor, for all intents and purposes, had mixed feelings about Loki going on a date with Tony. He could already see that Tony was good for Loki. His teasing hadn’t been too far off the truth. Loki resented showing sentiment. He’d rather show the same icy attitude to everyone. A bit of time with Tony had changed that drastically. But was Loki good for Tony? That remained to be shown. But the most troubling issue was that Loki didn’t have his own car. So he borrowed Thor’s.

Thor hadn’t even known Loki was going to take it, though he really should have realized there was no other alternative. Loki would kill before he asked to borrow Odin’s. But being asked would have been a lot nicer than hearing Loki say through his door, “I’m taking your car,” then realizing that his keys were nowhere to be seen.

So he was stuck in the house and pouting about it while watching television.

“Oh, Thor,” Frigga sighed as she walked through the room with a laundry basket, “You do know that before there were cars, there was walking, right? Your legs can take you to many places.”

Thor huffed, “I guess.”

“You guess?” Frigga smiled, amused. “You don’t quite believe it?”

Thor chuckled and shrugged, “It is a foreign concept but perhaps you’re right, mother. Walking can’t be any worse than this cabin fever I’m suffering from.”

“Me? Right?” She teased him, “Will wonders ever cease?”

Chuckling, Thor kissed her cheek then went to fetch his wallet. As soon as he walked out the door, he was hit with a sudden urge to explore the grocery store. It wasn’t more than a ten minute walk from his home there.

He got there and walked up and down the aisles aimlessly, observing the market-goers. The most common demographic were mothers with young children, then families and every once in a while, men shopping for their families. Such as Bruce Banner. The single man was browsing the meat section. Thor didn’t even know how he managed to recognize him from behind but didn’t question it as he approached. Bruce was glowering at a pack of sausages while leaning on his cart, an adorable frown set on his mouth.

Thor stood beside him and asked, “Is the package not big enough to please you?”

Bruce started, then looked at the sausages, then back at him, then blushed so hard Thor could feel the warmth radiating off his face.

He reviewed his words and added for Bruce’s sake, “Despite the situation, I didn’t intend for that to be an innuendo.”

“I know,” Bruce refused to even look at him but flailed his arm dismissively, “I know. I’ve just spent too much time with Tony.”

Thor, because he was a bit evil, kept the same innocent, inquiring expression on his face.

Bruce glanced at him, eyes widening absurdly when he saw that Thor was expecting an answer. “They are, you know, big enough,” he flushed even harder, “I’m just looking for the, uh, nutritional value.”

“Well it has plenty of protein,” Thor offered, barely holding up the façade when Bruce’s eyes widened, “Because it’s meat,” Bruce put down the sausages so he could hide his face in his hands, “I’m in no way referring to semen.”

“I know,” Bruce blurted out, “I’m so sorry. I’m supposed to be an adult but I’m acting like a teenager.”

“I totally understand,” Thor assured him, “Protein to semen is a very easy jump to make.” Thor looked away to hide the painfully large smile that was threatening to break through. When he turned back, Bruce was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He broke down and laughed, “I’m sorry, you’re just too cute. I hadn’t meant to tease you.”

Bruce waved his off with a shy smile, “its fine. Like I said, I’m supposed to be an adult. I shouldn’t have just played into your hand like that.” He added as an afterthought, “And I’m not cute.”

“Truly? Are you sure?” a rogue hand landed on Bruce’s hip, turning him easily to face him, “I can’t help but disagree.”

“Something’s wrong with your eyesight.”

“My eyesight is 20/20.”

“Maybe you should make an appointment with an optic specialist. Just to make sure.”

“I can’t make an appointment with you, Dr. Banner?”

“I’m not that type of doctor.”

Thor chuckled, “Good. That means I’d be your only patient.”

“Excuse me, sirs,” a girl not much older than Thor approached them, “As much as I love the idea of two guys flirting in the meat section, trust me, the irony is not lost on me, I’m going to have to ask you to not.”

Thor let his arms drop from the cart, wondering for a minute how he ended up boxing Bruce in. He glanced around and found several sets on eyes on them. For some reason, it hit at the moment that this was definitely not romantic. He cleared his throat, “I apologize. I seem to have gotten carried away.”

Her eyebrows touched her hairline, “You don’t say. So why don’t you and your… friend continue on? Maybe save all that sexual tension for the bedroom.”

Thor pretended not to hear the strangled ‘ohmygod’ that escaped Bruce. “Yes, we will do just that. Again, I apologize.” Thor picked up a pack of sausages and threw them into the cart. “Those are the ones my mother gets. I believe you will find them satisfactory too.”

“Right, thank you, Thor,” head down, Bruce pushed his cart pass the girl.

Thor offered another apologetic smile and went to follow Bruce but making sure to keep a distance. Bruce seemed to appreciate the space as much he was disappointed by it. He didn’t attempt to ask what had happened in the meat section (perhaps for his own sake) but the way he blushed whenever Thor came too close spoke volumes about how he felt about it.

After helping Bruce load the groceries into the car, he lingered awkwardly. “I guess I should go,” he said, tone suggesting that it was more of a question than a statement.

Bruce nodded, his hand scratching the back of his neck. He was avoiding Thor’s eyes.

“I truly didn’t mean to embarrass you earlier,” Thor hazarded to mention, “I just find you attractive and it is apparent that you feel the same. I know you have to think of Tony first but perhaps we can exchange phone numbers and simply keep in touch. No expectations, just simply companionship.”

“Companionship?” Bruce echoed, brows furrowed in confusion, “You mean you want to be friends?”

“Well, Tony and I are friends,” Thor corrected, smiling, “I was thinking of something a bit more… adult. For example, if we were to kiss at any point, it won’t mean anything unless we wish for it to.”

“And,” Bruce hesitated, tongue wetting his lips. “If something more happens?”

“There would be no regrets on my end.”

The straight-forward declaration seemed to be exactly what Bruce needed. “Okay, I guess it couldn’t hurt,” he nodded, growing more confident, “I think I like the idea.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of last chapter: Loki and Tony's date

****

Earlier that day…

Loki walked out the door with Thor’s keys and hopped into hot rod red Camaro. It really wasn’t his style. He looked forward to getting his own car instead of driving something so obnoxiously bright.

When he arrived at the theatre, Tony was already there, pacing like a caged tiger. Loki couldn’t help noticing fondly how nervous he looked. He was muttering to himself, totally disregarding the stares of others. Then he looked up, as if sensing his presence, and lit up.

“Loki,” Tony rushed to his side, “You’re here. I have our tickets so we can just go in.” Without even waiting for a response, Tony took his hand and pulled him into the theatre.  

Chuckling at Tony’s enthusiasm, Loki let himself be pulled in. The theatre was crowded as usual but Tony’s steady commentary of how torturous it was to wait seemed to float above the noise. He weaved effortless through the crowd without disturbing his steady flow of words, giving both tickets to usher.

“What do you want to eat?” Tony grabbed a box of Crunches and Starburst, “My treat.”

Loki rose an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “Your treat, Anthony? I’m sure you know I can pay for myself. Actually, after you bought both our tickets, I should pay for you too.”

“No, it’s fine,” Tony dismissed him, “I invited you on the date so I should be a gentleman and pay.”

“Date?” Loki feigned shock, “I thought we were just hanging out.”

Tony’s head snapped up, eyes wide, but relaxed when he realized Loki was joking. He shot him a glare, “You’re evil.”

“Just mischievous, dear Anthony.”

“Yeah, evil,” Tony swiped a Hershey bar, “Fine, you can pay but don’t say I didn’t offer.”

“Anthony, please, pull back some of that overwhelming charisma,” Loki said with an obnoxiously sweet smile, “You’re making me swoon.”

“Yep, that’s what they all say,” Tony grinned.

Loki rolled his eyes and strolled up to the cashier, ordering a large bag of popcorn along with the candy. The cashier rung them up quickly and Loki made a show paying. Tony snorted then made a show of carrying all of it to their seats.

“You can’t let yourself lose, can you, Anthony?” Despite the annoyance in his voice, he was smiling.

“Nope. I happen to come from a family of winners,” Tony replied, “Losing is for the weak.”

“Sometimes it’s considered gentlemanly to let yourself lose.”

“But this isn’t one of those times, now is it?”

Loki chuckled at the cheeky retort. “Fine, do what you like.”

Loki let him lead him to seats in the back of the theatre, away from the majority of the people there.

Tony explained without him asking, “I figured you’re the type that can’t stand the majority of the human population and since you discover the worst of them in a movie theatre, it’s probably best to stay away from the crowd.”

“Ah,” he smiled, “Thank you, Anthony.”

Tony shrugged shyly, “So is there any background information I should know before this starts? Facts about Shakespeare? Queer theories? Disclaimers?”

“No,” Loki thought about it, “Well not right now anyway. I suspect I’ll be giving a steady commentary on all the inaccuracies and misrepresented or omitted moments.”

After the movie, Tony would laugh at how accurate that statement was. Loki barely took a second to breathe during the movie, commenting on the portrayal of Ophelia or the horrific representation of the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Then when it came to Hamlet’s relationship with his mother, Loki quite gleefully told Tony just how fucked it was. All in all, the only thing Tony would remember from the movie was Loki’s voice caressing his ear as he whispered passionately.

“I must thank you, Anthony,” Loki said as they left the theatre, “I had no idea seeing Hamlet would be so enjoyable.”

“Don’t give the movie you were ragging on too much credit. I’m pretty sure the company had played a pretty big role in that.”

 “You’re so modest.”

“You know what they say. It’s a virtue.”

“Funny, I’ve never been virtuous myself,” Loki’s poisonous green eyes glimmered with amusement in the moonlight, “Actually, I’d go as far as to call myself hedonistic.”

Tony’s eyebrows touched his hair line, “Is that a thinly veiled come-on or something to just tease Tony with? Because if you’re just messing with me, I swear, I’ll turn you inside out. That is not funny. It’s just cruel. Like, yeah, I know I’m young but I’m smack dab in the middle of puberty and I definitely know what sex is. And I also know what being hard is like. Do not offer unless you’re willing to give.”

Loki cackled, “My apologies, Anthony. I had no idea you would take it like that.”

“No idea, my ass,” Tony grumbled.

Thor’s car came into sight, astoundingly late considering how bright it was.

“Thor let you take his car?”

Loki smirked, “’Let’ is a relative word.” He ducked into the driver’s seat and started the car while Tony climbed into the passenger’s seat.

“You know, in most cases, it’s actually not.”

“Fortunately, I’m not most cases.”

Tony could help snickering quietly, “You most certainly are not. So when are you going to get your own car?”

Loki sighed, “I have no idea, to be honest. Odin certainly doesn’t seem keen on helping me get one.”

Tony hummed thoughtfully. “What about,” he hesitated, “What if I got you a car, free of charge?”

“I’m sure it’d give me a reason to believe that you’re running some type of scam.”

Tony snorted, “No, I mean, it’s a car I already have. It’s mine. But I’m not old enough to drive it so I can loan it to you for a while.”

Loki asked, baffled, “Why do you have a car?”

“It was my dad’s, my biological dad’s,” Tony explained quietly, “I kept it, took it apart, added some things but for the most part, it’s still just a car. If you give me a week, I can have it up and running for you by the time you pick it up.”

For a minute, he thought he had managed to make Loki speechless. But true to himself, Loki commented, “This is a bit much for a first date. You can’t give me your dead father’s car.”

“Not giving, loaning,” Tony corrected, “And you’d be doing me a favor. I’d get to see how well it actually runs. Plus whenever I ask for a ride, you’ll be obligated to give me one. Personally, I feel like it’s a fair trade. You’d be my personal chauffeur, I’d be chilling like Miss Daisy.”

“You’d sit in the back seat?” Loki mused.

“If I damn well please. It’d be my car. You would just be driving it. Also, if anything happens to be off with the car, come to me. Half the stuff I installed in it might be illegal, I’m not sure, I never check regulations but any regular mechanic wouldn’t know their way around it.”

“Of course,” Loki nodded, “Thank you, Anthony. This is ridiculously kind of you.”

Tony shrugged, “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s an incredible big deal,” Loki insisted, “So big, I don’t know why you’re offering it but they say to never look a gift horse in the mouth. You said to give you a week?”

“Yeah, it’s in pieces right now,” Tony explained, “I just need to put it back together.”

“To think you would actually do something like this for me,” Loki shook his head, “Thank you, Anthony. This is incredibly kind of you and I appreciate it greatly. You’re far too generous.”

“You’re willing to drive a car built by a fourteen year old,” Tony pointed out, “If I’m too generous, then you’re way more idiotic than you let on.”

“Perhaps,” Loki allowed, “But I trust your abilities as an inventor. You sure do talk about inventing often enough. Half the time, I’m not even sure you’re speaking English.”

“Science is the purest form of language. I just happen to be fluent.”

Loki hesitated before asking, “What about Bruce?”

“He’s fluent as well,” Tony said with a proud smile, “He is a physicist. It’s sort of part of the job.”

“A physicist,” Loki echoed, impressed, “Did you get your love of science from him?”

“No, um,” Tony deflated, “That sort of came from my biological dad. Can we stop at the Mexican place up here? I want a burrito.”

Naturally, Loki knew a diversion when he saw one but he pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. No need to end a nice night on a sobering note.

 

 

Loki parked in his family’s driveway after dropping Tony off at home and went in. He found Thor on the living room couch, watching some sport and threw him his keys.

Thor caught it, easily, and grinned at his brother, “Did you have fun?”

Loki shrugged, unwilling to admit to Thor that he had. “Aren’t you upset that I took your car?”

“Upset? Of course not,” Thor assured him, “I found a nice way to past the time while you were out. I went for a walk, ran into Bruce at the supermarket, and even exchanged numbers with him.”

Loki sat down beside him, interested, “I thought Tony didn’t want you to make a move on his father. You’re going to disregard what he said?”

“Not necessarily,” Thor flinched at the look Loki gave him, “Okay, maybe but I made sure Bruce knows that I don’t expect anything more than companionship. Tony will always go first and he has his career to think about, I don’t want to demand anything he can’t give at the moment.”

“Oh brother,” Loki smiled, “Perhaps you’ll not a heedless dolt.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce has some free time so guess what he does.

When Bruce opened the door Thursday evening, he was expecting to hear Tony’s voice, cracking with puberty as he exclaimed excitedly, “Dad, you’re home.”

When he didn’t hear that, it was a bit disconcerting. He was so used to Tony just being there when he got home, alone or with one of his friends. Ten years ago, he hadn’t even wanted kids. He didn’t think he could be a father but his time spent tutoring Tony before the accident was almost therapeutic. He couldn’t begin to understand what Howard found unsatisfactory about Tony. The boy was intelligent, witty, and innovative and had a heart the size of the Pacific, unlike Howard. It made him admit that a boy wasn’t his father. He realized that he wasn’t anything like his own monster of a father. Now he had a son that he adored to the moon and back to prove that to him every day.

Bruce would never admit it but he was glad that the Howard died. It gave him a chance to be what Tony needed. Now he can tell Tony how amazing he is without someone unraveling his self-confidence at every turn. A pathetic thing to be thankful for but it sure as hell made a difference. Tony deserved more and Bruce was eager to give him that.

He sent a text to Tony, simply asking where he was at.

A minute later Tony responded saying he was spending the night at Steve’s house because of boy issues, apparently. Honestly, he never thought Steve was the type to have those but you can never really know.

Walking through the empty house made him realize how soothing a presence Tony had. The silence felt oppressive without Tony’s restless energy. It felt… really lonely.

Goodness sake, if he was feeling like this after a few minutes alone in the house, he can only imagine what it’d be like when Tony goes away for college.

He pulled his phone back out and went to call Betty, his best friend. But he hesitated, finger hovering over her name. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, called Thor instead.

He nearly dropped the phone when he heard Thor’s deep, husky voice on the other line. His heart hadn’t been prepared for that. He has to remind himself that he’s not a teenager anymore. His heart shouldn’t be pounding from hearing his voice _over the phone._

“Uh, hi,” he cleared his throat when his voice came far too squeaky, “Hey, Thor. It’s Bruce.”

“Bruce?” he sounded surprised, “I’m happy to hear from you. What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, really,” Bruce shrugged, forgetting that Thor couldn’t see it, “I just wanted to, you know, talk to someone. Tony is over Steve’s house and it’s really quiet here. I didn’t disturb your sleep or anything, did I?”

“Oh, no,” he cleared throat, “Apologizes. I was dozing due to my boredom. I’ll be right over.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Bruce hurried to assure him, “I just meant talk over the phone, unless you’d rather not.”

“Do you not want me to come over?”

“No. Yes? I just,” Bruce took a deep breath and settled on, “You’re always welcomed.”

“Then I’ll be over in a few.” Thor promptly hung up, leaving Bruce calm his pounding heart. He thought being a teenager is bad but trying to interact with your crush as an adult is terrifying. He avoided having a sort of crushes since he graduated college. It helped that in his field, handsome, broad-shouldered men weren’t exactly common.

This time he called Betty, praying that she would answer. It took her an agonizing twenty seconds to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Thor’s coming over,” Bruce blurted out, “And I don’t know what to do.”

“Perhaps you should start with telling me who Thor is,” Betty said, a smile in her voice.

“He’s a friend Tony brought home lately and remember my crush in junior year? He’s like him but taller and more charming and his hair is longer and I was literally dumbstruck when I first saw him. Tony was laughing at me for days.”

Betty sounded like she was suppressing laughter herself when she cooed, “Aw, Bruce, you have a crush. How sweet.”

“Don’t be evil,” Bruce pleaded, “Not now. He’s going to over in ten minute and I need to know what to do.”

“Is he coming over for Tony or for you?”

“Me. Tony’s not home and you know how I get when Tony’s leaves for the night so I was going to call you but I ended up calling him and he said he’ll come over.”

“Wait a second, Bruce,” She forced him to pause his panicked rambling, “I think you skipped a very important detail. Is he interested in you?”

“Well,” Bruce cleared his throat nervously, “Yes, he said that he knows that Tony is my first priority so he’ll sort of hang back. Be more of a friend than a lover but,” he trailed off, blushing.

“But?” Betty asked, her voice shrill with excitement.

“But,” Bruce continued quietly, “if anything happened between us, it happens. No pressure, just… companionship.”

“Oh my gosh,” She squealed, “Oh my gosh, just… give me a second. I can’t believe this. Bruce, this is great. Honey, to think I was worried about you. He’s eighteen, right?”

“Oh no,” Bruce paled, “I never asked.”

“Don’t worry, Tony’s a senior so he probably is. Now when he gets there suggest a movie, get on the couch and cuddle, Bruce. Cuddle hard.”

“Cuddle, right. Why cuddle though?”

“Because it’s romantic and cute and if you can get a picture for me, I would love you forever.”

“I don’t know about the picture,” Bruce was interrupted by the doorbell. “Oh no, he’s here. I’ll talk to you later, Betty. Thanks for the advice.” He hung up before she could say another word and jogged to the door. He took a few calming breaths before opening the door.

He froze when he saw Thor, hair pulled back into lazy bun. He’ll give himself a free pass for staring this time. Anyone would. It was too beautiful a sight.

“Bruce?” Thor seemed confused, “Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No, just,” he motioned at Thor’s head, still trying to formulate words for what he was seeing, “Hair.”

Thor patted his head self-consciously and barked a laugh, “This is embarrassing. My hair was getting in the way during physical education. To think I had totally forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me.”

“No,” Bruce nearly shouted when Thor moved to take it down, then blushed, “Sorry, it just… it looks good on you.”

“Does it?” Thor asked, smiling like he knew full well that it did.

Instead of answering, Bruce took a step back, “Why don’t you come in? I was thinking we could watch a movie. What do you think?”

“That sounds fantastic,” Thor assured him, walking ahead into the living room, “Did you have a movie in mind?”

“Not exactly,” Bruce fidgeted, “What do you want to watch?”

Thor shrugged and sat on the couch, “I will happily watch anything you choose.”

“Okay,” Bruce internally cursed. That just made his job harder, “Maybe we can watch something off Netflix. I heard Hannibal is good. We can try that?”

“That sounds fantastic,” Thor assured him, patting the spot beside him.

Bruce failed to get the hint and panicked, “I forgot about snacks. Or what about dinner? You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’m sorry, I’m usually not so scatter-brained.”

“I don’t believe you are,” Thor grabbed his hand before he could fly into the kitchen, “Instead of worrying about accommodating me, why don’t you allow me to see to your needs? I can cook if you like or we can go the safer route of ordering a pizza.” Bruce gave easily when Thor tugged him down to the sofa. “And you can relax.”

“I’m not very good at not doing anything,” Bruce admitted sheepishly.

“Yes, you and Tony have that in common,” Thor noted with a fond smile, “So pizza?”

Bruce nodded, “Half mushroom, please.”

“Of course,” Thor took out his phone and called up the pizza place. His posture was relaxed, one arm sprawled carelessly over the backrest, right behind Bruce.

Slowly, Bruce started to unwind too, leaning back against Thor’s arm, letting it curl against his shoulder and pull him closer. Perhaps, he let himself think, it is fine to just enjoy life for a while. Self-discipline can only work for so long with wearing on a person.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Tony goes to a gala and Loki gets something special.

Every so often, Bruce’s lab hosted a ‘small’ gala for investors and potential investors so they meet the scientist and be given demonstrations of what their money is going to (and sometimes their shown ancient developments because they’re prettier and more appealing). Every scientist is strongly urged to bring their families and significant others. The more likeable they seemed, the bigger paycheck they’ll receive. So far, Bruce had taken Tony to every one since adopting him and this one was no different.

That’s why, on Saturday evening, Tony was in a fitted suit, sipping at fancy looking sprite and wondering how much convincing it’d take for Bruce to call it a night.

“Come on, none of these old fogeys are going to miss you,” Tony muttered, “Let’s just get out of here while we’re still young.”

Bruce sighed, “I’m not exactly having a great time either but I can’t just leave.”

“Why not?” Tony retorted, “I’m sure you’re not looking for a sugar daddy. Or if you are then I have no idea why you brought me. Your fellow nerds got this. Betty’s new boyfriend is a hit with the cougars.”

Bruce glanced over to where Betty trying to subtly fight off older women while her boyfriend stood with a stiff smile and fear in his eyes. He tried conceal a smile behind his wine glass but Tony grinned in response. “I’m showing moral support by being here.”

“Oh, right,” Tony nodded, “By being here and not doing anything when you could be helping her. You’re a great friend, Bruce. Truly, you inspire me to be a better me.”

Bruce chuckled, “That’s my job.” While he was saying it, he caught sight of a couple approaching. He stood ramrod straight, unconsciously reacting to the air of authority the couple exuded.

“Dr. Banner,” Odin Borson boomed, “It is nice to finally meet you. I am Odin Borson and this is my wife, Frigga. I’ve heard much of your progress in atomic physics. Your work can lead to great things.”

Bruce smiled politely, “I hope so. Thank you, Mr. Borson.”

 Frigga, an elegant blonde with a motherly air about her, turned her attention to Tony with a pleasant smile. “Is this your younger brother, Dr. Banner?”

“Son, actually,” Tony corrected before Bruce could respond, “Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, this is my _adopted_ son, Tony,” Bruce hastened to add when he caught sight of their almost unperceivable shock. He had seen it only because he knew exactly what old-fashioned bigwigs thought of teenage pregnancies and Odin looked about as old-fashion as one could get.

“Oh, how nice,” Frigga’s smile widened, “What grade are you in, Tony?”

“Oh, um, I’m a senior,” Tony smiled bashfully at her (once again, well-hidden) surprise, “I’m fourteen, I just skipped a couple grades.”

“You must be a very smart young man,” Frigga praised, “What high school do you go to?”

“M.U Shield High,” Tony answered.

Odin grunted while Frigga gasped and said with a wide smile, “Our sons go to the same school. Do you know of Thor and Loki Odinson?”

“You’re Thor and Loki’s parents?” Tony beamed, not even noticing Bruce pale. “The three of us are like best pals, though Loki thinks Thor is an idiot and Thor doesn’t really understand Loki but they love each other. But you know, it’s really weird how you’re Borson and they’re Odinson. Does that mean Loki’s kids are going to be Lokison?”

“Lokason,” Frigga corrected, amusement shimmering in her blue eyes, “It is nice to see that they made such a close friend since transferring. Perhaps you will like to be part of the dinner we are hosting soon. It is for the next generation get to know each other before facing the competitive world of business. As a promising scholar, it would be an honor to have you join.”

“Of course,” Tony took out his phone, “Just give me the date and time and I’ll be there. And can we maybe keep this a secret from Thor and Loki? I just love making dramatic entrances.”

“Of course,” Frigga agreed easily, “I suspect that’s why you get along with Loki so well.”

Tony snorted, “I cannot wait to tell him I met you.”

\----------------------------------------------<>\----------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, Tony was vibrating with excitement. He had spent all Saturday night after coming home from the gala to give Loki’s car a new paint job and it turned out even better than he expected it to. Or it looked awful. The zero hours of sleep he had may have altered his perception but Bruce said it looked good so he’d have to take his word for it. Thor was supposed to be dropping Loki off any second now so he was rocking on his heels at the doorway. Bruce, of course, noticed this and thought it’d be more fun to watch than to tell him how ridiculous he was being.

The second the doorbell rang, Tony opened the doorbell and beamed up at Loki. “You’re here, finally. Just wait in the near the drive way. I’ll back it out for you.”

He didn’t even wait for a response. He ran back into the house and opened the door to the garage, grinning wildly. The car looked black in the dim lights of the garage. As the sunlight hit the rear of the car, it gleamed poisonous green. The mustang was a few generations old, which made it even better now that Tony’s made his renovations. It had a vintage body but the inside had GPS, took diesel, gas or electricity, and had a screen and DVD player for the back seat. The interior seats were black high quality leather and he had added a sun roof because why the hell not?

Tony hopped into the driver’s seat and set the car in reverse, humming with the purr of the engine. When he stopped in front of Loki, his grin widened maniacally at the expression on his face. Loki was looking at the car with awe so immense, it almost looked like fear.

Tony got out and held the door open for him, “Well?”

Loki was in the car in a flash and Tony spun around to hop into the passenger seat. Loki’s wonder was almost tangible as he caress the stirring wheel reverently. “Oh, Anthony,” he said breathlessly, “This is incredible.”

“I haven’t even given you a rundown of the features yet,” Tony grinned, his hands moved frantically to explain, “The screen right here is probably what you’d expect, GPS, music options, we have the USB port for uploading movies and audio and CD player. You can burn CDs on here. You also have three options for fuel. Diesel, gas and electricity, you just have to make sure you change the setting before filling it up or you’ll have a rather large problem on your hands. The backseat has a screen and DVD player. Not to mention, I refuse to mention, I will not mention that this vehicle has _surround sound_.” Tony punctuated the statement with jazz hands. “Are you impressed? Tell me you’re impressed.”

Loki smiled indulgently, “Of course, I’m impressed, Anthony. How could I not be? I just want to know if you’re sure. Are you really okay with giving this masterpiece to me?”

Tony waved him off, “If I can do it once, I can do it again to my own car once I get a license. Actually, mine will probably be even better after seeing how this one can be improved. Like I said, you’re doing me a favor by driving this car.”

“Only you, Anthony,” Loki shook his head fondly, “So where do you want to go?”

“Uh, maybe a gas station,” Tony smiled sheepishly, “I filled this car with just enough gas to get there.”

“Not the most extravagant destination,” Loki conceded with a smile and he put the car in drive, “But it will do.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date of the Century!!!!! + a cheesy teenage movie cliche

 

“So where do you want to go now?” Loki asked after while Tony rifled through the backs, opening a carton of beef lo mein.

He handled a pair of chopsticks adeptly, scooping noodles into his mouth. Then he shrugged. “I dunno.” He slurped it up noisily then made a sound of frustration, “I should have installed some type of table, like they have in airplanes. This stuff is too hot to put in my lap. Wait a sec,” he grabbed the bag and put it on the floor behind Loki’s seat.

“Come now, Anthony,” Loki rolled his eyes, “’That one Chinese place’ couldn’t be the only destination on your mind.”

“Believe it or not, Loki-doki, it totally was. Don’t you have anywhere you want to go?”

“This isn’t about what I want,” Loki argued, “I want to go where you want to go.”

“Fine, then let’s find some make-out cliff or something. Do the whole teenage movie thing. I can be Bobby and you can be Joanna”

Loki’s eyebrows slowly rose, “Okay, find a make-out cliff and do what?”

He noticed a rosy blush reaching Tony’s cheeks. The younger boy shrugged again, covering his embarrassment with nonchalance, “We can watch a movie in the back.”

Loki chuckled, “Sure, Anthony. We’ll do that as soon as I find a cliff in our ground level town.”

“Way ahead of you,” Tony grinned, “GPS, where’s the nearest cliff?”

The GPS replied in turn, “Nearest cliff is a hundred and four miles away at Montgomery Park.”

Tony wiggled his eyebrows playfully, “Are you in?”

Loki huffed but a smile ghosted his lips, “I suppose I have no choice. Make-out point it is.”

It took over an hour to drive to Montgomery Park and find the cliff. It was overlooking trees, a train track and a corn field, all the luxurious sights to set the mood for making out. Loki eyed the landscape, decidedly unimpressed, and said to Tony, “Well I feel romanced.”

“I said we’re just going to watch a movie,” Tony cried defensively, “For god’s sake, I’m just fourteen. Keep it in your pants, Loki.” The look Loki gave him in turn was murderous but Tony ignored him and fiddled with the touchscreen. “So what do you want to watch? I already download some movies on here. Fight Club, The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight, Kiss-Ass, History Boys-“

Loki interrupted, “History Boys?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tony’s cheeks pinked a tiny bit, “It’s a British movie about a bunch of guys trying to get into a good school.”

Loki hummed, “That doesn’t sound like the type of movie you’d be interested in.”

“Well, generally, I’m kind of wouldn’t but uh,” Tony shrugged shyly, “I just found the gayish aspects of it, um, interesting. Since realizing that I may lean both ways, I looked at a lot of movies, even watched Brokeback Mountain, but I think this one was my favorite.”

“Ah,” Loki smiled at the thought of Tony sitting down and figuring out his sexuality through movies, “I think I would like to see this movie too.”

“Cool,” Tony looked surprised for a second but quickly replaced the look with a wide smile, “Cool, we can definitely watch that. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the back and I’ll set it up.”

“Alright.” Loki got out the car, ignoring the chill of the frosty mid-winter air, and opened the back. He looked around roof of the car for the screen but nothing was there but the sun roof. He stuck his head in and asked, “Anthony, where’s the screen?”

“On the back of the seat,” Tony patted at the back the driver’s seat blindly until he found the small round button. When he pressed it, the screen lit up, the History Boys start screen playing with the sound coming out the surrounding speakers. “See?”

Loki couldn’t even answer. He had sat in the plush seat the entire time without knowing there was an entire HD screen built into it.

Tony caught his attention again when he jumped out and went out to the truck then came back with Transformers pillows and a throw blanket. He said pre-emptively, “I had a Transformers faze for like seven minutes and these were the only pillows and blanket that could fit comfortably in the trunk. Do not judge me.”

“Of course, Anthony,” Loki purred while take a pillow from him, “So which of the deplorable movies was your favorite?”

“I knew it, I do not need this shit,” Tony threw the throw blanket at his face, “I know you didn’t like the movies but in my defense, the cartoons were better.”

“Right,” Loki drawled, sarcasm latent in his voice.

“Seriously, they were,” Tony flailed.

“Just get in here so we can watch the movie, Anthony,” Loki spread out his legs across the entire seat, “I’ll even let you sit on my lap.”

Tony opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut when it occurred to him that, yeah, he’ll take that. Silence for closeness and lap sitting with access gay in the air. It sounded like a pretty good deal. And it would have been if he didn’t fall asleep ten minutes into the movie. Or stay asleep even while Loki drove him home and carried him to his bedroom.

But he did learn one thing that day.

No all nighters the night before a date.

 

After he dropped took Tony home, Loki pulled into his own driveway, behind Thor’s car, and got out reluctantly. Loki hardly let it out of his sight since he first laid eyes on it. It was irrational, he knew, to fear that it’d disappear as soon as he took his eyes off it but the fear was there nonetheless. Even closing the house door behind him was physically challenging. A glance at his phone told him that his family would be eating dinner around this time.

He marched right into the dining and found his family and, more specifically, Thor.

“Loki,” Thor greeted him, “How was your day?”

“Fine,” Norns, why hadn’t he told Thor about Tony’s gift earlier? Then Thor would be begging to see it, “Come, I want to show you something Tony gave me.”

“In a minute, brother,” Thor motioned as his plate, “I’m eating.”

“You can spare a minute away from your plate,” Loki demanded, “Come now.”

Thor looked unimpressed, “Can’t it wait, brother?”

“No,” Loki knew he was whining but he really wanted to show someone (everyone) his new car, “Tony made it himself and you have to see it now.”

Thor decided to indulge his brother during one of his rare displays of excitement and stood up. “Alright, lead the way.”

“Finally. Hurry up,” Loki sprinted out the door, back to his beloved car. He watched as Thor came out and spotted the car then was hit with the same shock and disbelief that Loki had felt.

“He made you a car?” Thor ran a finger along the hood of the car, “It is gorgeous.”

“You should see it in the sunlight,” Loki gushed unconsciously, “It is a beautiful shade of green. Anthony did such a wonder job, inside and out. It runs like a dream, the design is flawless and it has enough additional features for me to live in it. My Anthony is such a talented genius.”

“Your Anthony?” Thor teased.

Loki huffed, “Yes, my Anthony. I am the object of his affections so I get to claim possession.”

“I’m not challenging your claim,” Thor assured him, smiling, “But be sure to treat him well. He’s obviously looking to give you his heart.”

“It’s a wonder why,” Loki sighed, “Look at this. It’s incredible. Imagine when he’s our age. He’s already so adorable it’s a crime but then he’ll grow to be a man of beauty and intelligence, and possibly riches if he plays his cards right.”

“You feel,” Thor had to think to come up with the word for the emotion haunting Loki’s face, “Unworthy of his affection?”

Loki pursed his lips and nodded.

“Brother, you are even more foolish than you believe me to be if you think that’s the case,” Thor barely hesitated to put his hand on Loki’s shoulder but this time, Loki didn’t shrug it off, “We both know how intelligent Tony is. He wouldn’t give his heart to you if you weren’t worthy and he wouldn’t be helplessly smitten with you if he didn’t see something great in you. Trust in Tony, brother, even if you find it hard to trust yourself.” Loki didn’t seem convinced so Thor continued, “Brother, where do you see yourself in five years?”

Loki shrugged though he already knew the answer, “I don’t know, with my MBA and managing a section of father’s company.”

“I see the same,” Thor agreed, “I also see the fear you’ll strike in your employees and the frightening efficiency in which you will work. You will set out to learn the language of a new client and speak it fluently within a week.”

“Within a week is an exaggeration, Thor,” Loki berated him, “I would need at least two weeks.”

“So you say, dear brother,” Thor smiled as Loki brushed off his hand, “But you are quite terrifying when you are determined.”

“Good,” Loki spun around and headed into the house, “Come, Thor, stop standing around like a buffoon.”

Thor rolled his eyes at his brother but couldn’t help chuckling. At least he was cheered up.

When he entered the house, Loki was nowhere to be seen and his food had gone cold. Thor rolled his eyes again, this time with annoyance and sat down, not even bothering to warm it up.

“What was Loki so excited for you to see, Thor?” Frigga asked, highly anticipating his answer. Odin in comparison, Thor couldn’t help noticing, didn’t seem to care in the least.

“Oh, his new car,” Thor answered flippantly.

“Car?” the words was echoed by both his parents. Odin asked, “And you said it was made by a friend?”

Thor nodded, “Yes, Tony.”

“Tony Banner?” Frigga demanded, eyes widening, “But he’s only fourteen?”

“You’re met him?” Thor asked his mother then looked at his father as he answered.

“He attended the gala the other day with his ‘father.’ Why is it that Loki is driving a car made by a fourteen year old boy? Why did the young boy even give Loki a car?”

“Tony is a certified genius,” Thor said, recalling the words Tony used to introduce himself, “His area of expertise is mechanical engineering. Since he is only fourteen, Tony had no use for the car anyway so he decided to give it to Loki. He fixes and modifies our friends’ cars as well but he gave Loki the first car he put together himself because well,” Thor figured he should skip a certain detail, “He wants to put it to use instead of it gather dust in their garage.”

“Oh my,” Frigga said in astonishment, “He told us that he skipped grades but we had no idea he was so advanced.”

Thor nodded proudly, “Our young friend downplays his attributes more often than people think. He is truly passionate about inventing. Bruce tells me he has a hard time dragging Tony away from his work once he gets an idea.”

“You know Bruce as well?” Frigga’s voice was tinged with something knowing.

“Ah, uh, yes,” he cleared his throat and stared down at his plate guiltily, “Of course. I always visit the homes of my friends, don’t I? It’s not strange to know his father.”

“It isn’t.” Thor internally cursed when he heard the same cut and dry tone that Loki definitely inherited. He only ever heard it from the two people he could never fool.

When he dared to glance up, he was grateful to see that Odin had grown bored of the conversation and left. However, now he couldn’t escape this conversation with his mother.

He eyed his mother warily. She sat expressionlessly, simply gazing at him with a small tilt of her head. He contemplated whether he should speak first but he distinctly remember falling into that trap in a conversation with Loki. So he waited.

Finally, her lip twitched, “Oh Thor.”

Thor smiled innocently, “Yes, mother?”

She shook her head but her smile grew, “Oh Thor. Not only a man ten years your senior but your friend’s father?”

Thor shrugged, fidgeting with his fork while his smile grew as well, “He wears glasses so often they leave imprints on his nose.”

“Oh dear,” she giggled, “It’s always the small things, isn’t it?”

“You aren’t upset?” Thor ventured to ask.

“The situation isn’t ideal,” she admitted, “But it would hardly be fair to police your relationships now when I haven’t before. You’re eighteen and Mr. Banner seems like a level-headed man. I can hardly find a reason to be upset at this development. Though…” she hesitated, glancing at the stairway, “Perhaps it is best to keep your father in the dark.”

Thor nodded in agreement. He could only imagine how Odin would react to his preferences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frigga and Loki are similar in these awesome ways and it's going to be so fun exploiting that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sif and the Warriors Three decide to visit!

“Actually, I saw Bucky for the first time a few days ago,” Thor said into his phone, leaning on the wall near Exit C of the airport. A day ago, he was received an email saying to expect old friends at twelve pm at the airport. He was initially excited and arrived at twelve on the dot. Now it was one and he was contemplating just leaving but Bruce has told his to hold out. That’s how this conversation started. “He was hanging out in the parking lot with individuals I assume were his friends. It was too bad Tony wasn’t around. Steve was so heartbroken, he asked me for a hug.”

Bruce laughed, “Can I just say you guys have the most masculine friendship I’ve ever seen?”

“Depends, is that sarcasm?”

“No, I’m completely serious,” Bruce told him, “You guys are confident enough to hug each other without feeling girly. I’ve seen guys who can’t touch each other without feeling like their masculinity was questioned, i.e. the entirety of our school’s football team.”

Thor huffed a laugh, “You don’t mean soccer, do you? The hardest part of coming to America was trying to figure out when you mean football meaning soccer or American football.”

“Oh, yeah, American football, with the helmets and things.”

Thor snorted, “I take comfort in knowing you don’t know much more about American football than I do.”

“I know… things. I’ve just never been into football. It just seemed a bit pointless to me. Do you play sports? You never say anything about being on a team.”

“I played football, er, soccer back in Norway,” Thor admitted, “I can’t say I was particularly passionate about it but it is a fun past time.” 

“You were the best player, weren’t you?”

Thor smirked, “Well…” At that moment, he caught sight of Sif walking towards him, a seductive sway in her hips. The three weren’t far behind her, all lugging their own bags. “Ah, I see them. I guess I’ll talk you later, Bruce.”

“Okay, bye Thor.” Bruce hung up, leaving him to greet his friends.

Thor opened his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear. “My friends. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for you?”

“Fandral,” Sif threw a glare at the man, “gave you the estimated length of time it would take after the plane took off. He did not factor in the time to go throw security and actually get to the plane.”

 The man rolled his eyes, “I apologize. That was my mistake. But can I just mention how long it took for Sif to ready?”

Volstagg grumbled loudly, “Aye, only long enough to birth a child or two.”

Hogun huffed in agreement.

“It’s nice to see not much has changed,” Thor laughed. “I assume you ordered a rental since there’s no way the three of you could fit in my car.”

“Indeed,” Fandral dangled a pair of keys.

“Can I ride with you, Thor?” Sif fluttered her eyelashes, “I don’t think I can stand these idiots a moment longer.”

“Of course,” Thor agreed easily. “I’m sure they would love some time away from you too.” It was supposed to be a harmless joke but as soon as he said it, he felt a little bad. But his old friends took it in stride, guffawing as Sif let out a loud huff and rolled her eyes. “I’ll text you my address for the GPS.”

Thor led Sif to his Camaro while she chattered on and on about something. Thor hummed along enough to give the illusion of listening.

When they pulled into his driveway, Loki’s car was there. Thor winced minutely, suddenly remembering that he forgot to tell Loki about their guests.

“Who’s car is that?” Sif asked, already getting out to take a closer look.

The three were already out of their car and approaching him and Sif. Fandral immediately repeated her question but with more appreciation, “Who’s car is _that_? She’s a beauty.”

“It is Loki’s,” Thor answered succinctly, “And I will hand you over to Loki myself if any of you get a scratch on it.”

“We wouldn’t dare,” Fandral said with mock offense.

“Just warning you,” Thor grinned, “Loki treats that car like a child. Come, we’ll drop off your things in the guess rooms and then go do something.” Thor opened the door to his house, yelling, “My friends are here.”

“Your friends?” Loki popped out of nowhere to look over his shoulder, “Oh, you mean the friends I can’t stand. Did they really follow you all the way to America? They’re a bit obsessive, aren’t they? A word of advice, Thor, stick with your new friends. They’re less likely to skin a cat and offer it to a candid picture of you.”

“Thank you, brother,” Thor pushed past him, “Have I mentioned how much I appreciate our talks? Because I do, truly.”

“Thor Odinson, are you being sarcastic?” Loki laughed, even as he stumbled out of Thor’s way. “I’m serious, stick with your new friends. They’re doing you a world of good.”

Thor rolled his eyes but couldn’t help chuckling. He vaguely heard Fandral say, “Hey, Loki, looking good,” and Loki’s dry, “Keep walking, Fandral.”

They were in and out the house in minutes and on the road to a pizza place where they can sit down and catch up. The place was bustling with activity during the sunny Saturday but they managed to snatch a booth that could hold all of them. They ordered a large pizza and talked while they ate.

Half the pizza was gone when Thor heard his name shouted across the restaurant. He looked up to seeing Bruce trying desperately and failing to catch Tony before he headed over to Thor’s table. “Hey, big guy, how’s it going?”

“Everything is well, young friend,” Thor replied, amused.

Tony grabbed a piece of pizza and sat down next to him. “And who are these nice people?”

Bruce walked over reluctantly, his smile awkward as he greeted Thor. “Sorry for interrupting you and your friends.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Thor assured him, throwing an arm onto Tony’s shoulder, “These are my friends from Norway. This is Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun.”

“Weird names,” Tony commented, prompting a brief scolding look from Bruce.

Bruce smiled apologetically, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Bruce and this is Tony.”

Sif seemed to ignore the statement, instead asking Thor, “Do you babysit him or…?”

Thor caught Tony’s eyes narrow and hastened to correct her, “Tony is actually a classmate. He’s very intelligent.”

“Righttt,” Sif let the word stretch out until it was an obvious insult. “It was nice meeting you.” She waved goodbye with an obnoxious smile.

For a minute, Thor couldn’t even believe what he was seeing. The idea of someone being so rude to one of his friends was enough to anger him but he had to remind himself that Sif was his friend as well. As much as he loved having Tony as a friend and spending time with Bruce, he couldn’t simply let her go. There was only one solution. “My friends, why don’t you join us for the _entire day_?”

Tony smirked, catching on immediately, “Oh, boy, I sure would love to hang out with you and your friends,” he glared at Sif, “ _all day_.”

Bruce’s huff was somewhere between amused and resigned. “It’s not like we had any plans today anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how long this story was on pause for with a half finished chapter. But it's back (cause of a well-timed comment that caught me just as I was reviving stories I hadn't worked on in months) and the next wait will definitely not be as long.


End file.
